


Making Impressions

by TerraYoung



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: M/M, autistic! Ray, rating is for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 22:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11344302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraYoung/pseuds/TerraYoung
Summary: Ray's a librarian, Mick's a former criminal, and attraction sparks between them right away. Mick doesn't think anything can come of it, so Len and Lisa are forced to meddle. Is Mick right? Or will Len and Lisa's meddling result in a happy couple?





	Making Impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arazsya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arazsya/gifts).



> Based on Arazsya's prompt: Atomwave or Atomhunter Library AU. I hope I did it justice and I hope you enjoy!

 

**text from Len: You’re still making that chicken alfredo tonight, right?**

**text to Len: cool yr jets. I’m stopping @ the library for my textbooks, not leaving the country**

**text from Len: So that’s a yes?**

**text to Len: not a no**

**text from Len: Really?**

Mick shakes his head as he tucks his cellphone into his pocket. Len may make a good roommate and an even better partner, but that doesn’t make messing with him any less fun. It’s ’cause of him that Mick’s here, really – he’d been the one to suggest getting a fire-related job when Mick’d had to leave the criminal biz. Turned out most fire-related jobs require fire-related schooling, so off to school for a fire science degree Mick went. And then his textbooks can really only be found at the library, which makes stealing them next to impossible.

The front door sticks a bit as Mick pushes it open. Mick gets through the next one with little difficulty, and is rewarded with a blast of air conditioning for his trouble. He then follows neon pink signs to the front desk – a far less arduous journey than the number and frequency of said signs would imply.

There’s a man roughly Lisa’s age putzing around the circular front desk. He’s humming some peppy pop song as he shuffles papers around and scribbles down notes. The man has floppy brown hair, a bright smile, and is wearing a black polo shirt that showcases his absurdly muscular arms…

“Hi!” The man calls. Mick blinks out of his daze. “Do you need some help?”

“Yeah,” Mick grunts. He digs around in his pockets for his list of textbooks, pulls it out, and hands it over. “Need them for some classes.”

The man reads and rereads the list. He nods. “I know where these are.” He smiles, comes around to Mick’s side of the desk, and offers him a hand. “I’m Ray, btw. Ray Palmer.”

Mick shakes Ray’s warm, smooth, hand. He holds onto it a bit too long before dropping it like most people would drop hot coals. “Mick Rory,” he finally remembers to answer.

“Nice to meet you, Mick,” Ray says. He gestures to the rows of shelves to the desk’s left. “Follow me.”

 

XxXx

 

“Got your books?” Len asks as Mick enters the apartment and slams the door shut. He raises an eyebrow at the noise. “Something happen?”

“Yes ’n’ no,” Mick answers.

Len swings his legs off the back of the couch, turns to Mick, and takes in the stormy look on his face. “Sure _looks_ like nothing happened,” he drawls.

Mick’s scowl deepens. He stomps over to his bedroom and tosses in his bag of books. It lands on the bed, resulting in a loud _thump_ instead of a _thud_. Mick then storms over to the kitchen and leans on the counter. “’S nothing, Len. I swear.”

"Mick…”

“ _Fine_.” Mick runs a hand over his face. “It’s the librarian that got my books for me.” He shakes his head as Len’s expression darkens. “Didn’t make any potshots if that’s what you’re thinkin’.” Len relaxes. “It’s the opposite, really. Spent the whole time either asking me ’bout my books and classes or talking about one of my professors – ’parently he had the same guy for physics –”

“Let me guess,” Len interjects, “he was cute, too?”

Mick huffs. “Has a stupidly bright smile, stupidly soft hands, and his stupid muscles were…” He catches himself and turns to glare at Len. Len doesn’t even blink. “ _Really_ , Len?”

“You’d only get this worked up about someone if they’d majorly pissed you off or if you’re getting a crush on him,” Len points out. “And since you said he didn’t do the former…” Mick’s stance softens, though his glare doesn’t. “I still remember what happened when you had a thing for that art forger we worked with for a couple jobs. Thought I’d get you of the denial stage early – for your sake and the sake of that librarian of yours.”

“He ain’t mine,” Mick says gruffly. “And unless he’s secretly a criminal – which he seems too nice to be – he won’t ever be mine if he finds out I am.”

"Was.”

“Whatever.” Mick shakes his head, finally dropping the glare. “I don’t got a chance with him, an’ if you want that chicken alfredo you better drop the subject.” Len makes a face. Mick ignores him and goes to get things out for dinner. “’Sides, I’m not gonna see the guy for a month when I renew those books. I’ll have gotten over whatever this is by then.”

 

XxXx

 

“Hey, Mick!” Ray’s beaming smile kickstarts the butterflies in Mick’s stomach. “Didn’t expect to see you back here so soon. What’s up?”

Mick blinks and blinks again before finally saying, “My theri- my friend said I should pick up a hobby – somethin’ to help with the stress of going back to school. Didn’t want to take a class somewhere, so…”

“Well, we’ve got a lot of books on hobbies,” Ray begins as he joins Mick on the other side of the front desk, “so you’ve come to the right place. D’you have any ideas on where to start?” At Mick’s slightly blank face he adds, “And by ideas I mean – if you like to cook I could maybe find you something on baking. Or if you’re good at math I could recommend some puzzle books. Stuff like that.”

“Never been a fan of baking,” Mick says. “An’ math’s not my strong suit.” He shrugs. “Surprise me.”

Ray frowns, turning Mick’s butterflies sour. “But I don’t know you that well – I don’t want to pick the wrong thing.” His face clears after he runs a hand through his hair, though a trace of uncertainty remains. “I go on my lunch break in a bit. We could talk for a while and figure out what kind of hobby book to get you. If – If that’s alright with you? It’s just – you seem nice-” Mick scoffs silently- “and I’d like to get it right so you don’t have to come back in another week again to get –”

“Fine,” Mick answers. “Let’s talk then, Haircut. Keep you from losing track with your babbling.”

"Haircut?” Ray asks. He’s smiling again.

“’S a nickname.” Mick nods at Ray. “’Cause of your hair – it’s a very distinctive style.”

“Thanks! …I think.”

 

XxXx

 

Mick’s at Saints and Sinners getting drinks with Lisa a couple hours later. She laughs after Mick finishes telling her everything that’s happened with Ray.

"Well, he definitely likes you,” Lisa says. “You should ask him out.”

Mick groans. “Not you, too.”

“Me too?”

“You ’n’ Lenny.” Mick takes a sip of his drink. “Both starting to get obsessed with my love life an’ setting me up with Haircut.”

Lisa shakes her head. “We just want you to be happy, Mick. Can’t help with fire and you’re not stealing anymore, so we can really only do it through your social life.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

“Go talk to him.” Lisa sips her drink. “Ask him out for coffee – it can work as a date thing or a friendship thing. If it’s obvious he’s into you, kiss ’im at the end.”

“And when he finds out about my past and inevitably goes screaming into the night?” Mick asks.

“Then me and Lenny will steal the shit out of him and light a fire at his place in your honor.” Lisa smiles as Mick lets out a booming laugh. Once he calms down, she adds, “I don’t think we’ll need to, though. He spent his entire lunch break with you to figure out what hobby’d best suit you. And it apparently didn’t freak him out when you spent ten straight minutes gushing about fire. You should be fine.”

“If you say so, Lise.” Mick downs his drink.

 

XxXx

 

**text from Lisa: You asked him out yet?**

**text to Lisa: cool yr jets – just got to library**

**text from Lisa: So no?**

**text to Lisa: so no**

Mick tucks his phone away as he approaches the front desk, hands shaking slightly. No sign of Ray – he might be in the back, though. Mick hits the silver bell with a sign that reads “ring for service”.

A not-Ray man enters through the door in the back and heads towards Mick. “Can I help you?”

“You’re not Hair- Ray,” Mick blurts.

“No, I’m Nate.” He frowns. “Wait, did you almost say ‘Haircut’?” As soon as Mick nods Nate’s face clears. “You’re Mick then – the guy Ray won’t shut up about!”

Mick blinks. “He won’t?”

Nate shakes his head. “It started with ‘I helped this patron – Mick – get some textbooks, and he let me info-dump about Martin’s class! He didn’t interrupt me once!’ And then went to ‘Mick came back already and it’s only been a week!’ And every time he remembers something new he tells _everyone_ – me, our boss, our IT consultant, my girlfriend…”

“Didn’t realize I made such an impression on ’im.”

Nate snorts. “That’s an understatement. I mean if he hadn’t – Never mind. Anyway, Ray’ll be back on Monday – he gets weekends off. You can come back then or I can tell him you stopped by?”

“I’ll come back,” Mick says.

 

XxXx

 

**text to Lisa: he wasn’t there**

**text from Lisa: ?**

**text from Lisa: Let’s switch to the group text so I don’t have to text Lenny separately.**

**text to Len, Lisa: haircut is off weekends – couldn’t ask him out today**

**text from Len: When’s he coming back?**

**text from Lisa: *I* was gonna ask him that :(**

**text from Len: Sorry. ;)**

**text from Lisa: :P**

**text to Len, Lisa: really u two?**

**text from Lisa: Ooh, he’s breaking out the punctuation!**

**text to Len, Lisa: anyway haircut’s back on monday**

**text from Len: That’s only two days away.**

**text from Lisa: Plenty of time for Mick to come up w/ some bs excuse as to why he won’t ask the guy out.**

**text from Lisa: Right, Mick?**

**text to Len, Lisa: plead the fifth**

**text from Lisa: Wait, you said his real name was Ray *Palmer*, right?**

**text to Len, Lisa: why**

**text from Len: Think that’s what he said.**

**text from Lisa: And did he ever mention Cisco?**

**text to Len, Lisa: as in yr boyfriend cisco**

**text from Lisa: Yep!**

**text to Len, Lisa: he mentioned a cisco**

**text to Len, Lisa: only once – no idea if it was supposed to be yr cisco or not**

**text to Len, Lisa: said they took sten… stern… STEIN’s physics class together**

**text to Len, Lisa: why**

**text from Lisa: That’s my Cisco, then. Thanks Mick!**

**text to Len, Lisa: lisa what’re you planning**

**text from Lisa: ;)**

**text from Lisa: Lenny, can we talk in private?**

**text from Len: Sure…**

**text from Lisa: Talk to you later, Mick!**

**text from Len: See you tonight.**

**text to Len, Lisa: what just happened?**

 

XxXx

 

Two days later, Mick’s back at the library. Ray’s back at the front desk, as bright and cheerful as always. The second he sees Mick approaching him, a beaming smile spreads across his face. Mick’s heart skips a beat before kicking into high gear.

“Hey, Mick!” Ray says. “Nate says you came here over the weekend looking for me?”

Mick rubs the back of his neck for a second. “Yeah. About that, um, hope that wasn’t creepy or anythin’.”

Ray shakes his head. “We never exchanged phone numbers, so coming here would be the only way to find me if you wanted to talk. Speaking of…” he pulls out his phone. “Mind if I ask you for your number? Just in case you want to talk to me – or vice versa – when I’m off duty again.”

“Nah.” Mick takes Ray’s phone, puts his number under the contact ‘Mick’, and hands it back. Ray types for a few seconds and then Mick’s phone buzzes.

**text from ?: Hi, Mick! This is Ray! :)**

**text to ?: hey**

Mick saves the number to his phone as ‘Haircut’ before tucking it away.

“Before I forget,” Ray begins, “would you like to check out those books now or later?”

“Late-” Mick blinks. “What books?”

“The ones Lisa reserved for you yesterday.”

“She what? An’ since when did _you_ know Lisa?”

“Well, I don’t really _know her_ know her, but, um,” Ray babbles. “She’s dating Cisco, who’s a good friend of mine. I got a text from her – Cisco must’ve given her my number – earlier saying she’d reserved some books for you yesterday and asked if I could remind you about them today.”

“Never told me ’bout it,” Mick says. “What kinda books did she reserve?”

Ray types on the computer keyboard for a few seconds before answering, “Dating for Dummies, Asking Someone Out for Dummies, Coffee Dates for Dummies, Great Date Spots in Central City, Dating After Prison, and Romantic Recipes for the Trained Chef.”

Mick rolls his eyes to the ceiling. “ _Really_ , Lise?” He sighs. “Cancel those reservations, wouldja, Haircut?”

“Okay.” Ray types for a bit longer. “Aaaannnndddd…done!” He frowns in confusion. “I’m guessing you didn’t want Lisa to reserve those books for you?”

“What gave it away?”

“You not knowing she did it and your exasperated reaction after I told you the titles.” Mick stares at Ray. “Ah. Rhetorical question. Sorry about that. I’m not the greatest at figuring that stuff out – I’m autistic, in case you haven’t guessed yet.” Ray waves a hand. “Anyway, can I ask why Lisa got you all romance-related books?”

“Sure,” Mick answers.

Ray sighs. “Why did Lisa get you all romance-related books?”

“Thinks I need a push in askin’ someone out.”

“But why reserve them? Why not check them out or just text you the titles?”

“’Cause you’re that someone,” Mick blurts. His hands begin to shake, so he shoves them into his pockets. Ray’s doing nothing but stare at him. Mick adds, “So. Jitters on your lunch break? I can buy.” Still nothing. “Unless you’d rather forget this all happened?”

Ray shakes himself out of his daze. “No! No, a date sounds good. Great, even! You just surprised me, that’s all.” He glances at the computer. “My lunch break doesn’t _technically_ start for another fifteen minutes, but Rip – my boss – is spending the day with his family. And Nate can cover for me if need be.”

“Breaking the rules?” Mick raises his eyebrows. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Only if it doesn’t really hurt anyone,” Ray says as he walks over to Mick’s side of the front desk. “And it’s a slow day and Rip won’t know, so it’s okay.”

Mick just nods and follows Ray out of the library.

 

XxXx

 

 

Ray’s been tapping his fingers against his drink nervously for the past ten minutes. He opens his mouth, closes it, and then opens it again.

“Jus’ say it already,” Mick grumbles.

“I didn’t want to pry or anything,” Ray begins, “but one of the books was called Dating After Prison, and I was wondering if that was just Lisa messing with you or if –”

“I’ve actually been to prison?”

Ray nods. “I’m sorry, you don’t –”

“I have,” Mick says after a long moment. “Mostly for theft or arson.” He stares down at his drink to avoid Ray’s eyes. “Nobody innocent got hurt, ’case you were wondering. Not directly anyways. Boss’s orders, though I didn’t object to them or anything.”

“Ah. Are you still…”

“No. There was this job a year back – place went up in flames. Got some pretty bad burns an’ messed up lungs. They don’t affect me too much, but I can’t really run much anymore. And since running away’s a big part of not goin’ to jail, I stopped.” Mick sighs. “Feel free to leave now – won’t stop you.”

A few seconds pass as neither of them move. Eventually Ray reaches forward and lays a hand on Mick’s arm. Mick shudders slightly.

“Why would I leave?” Ray asks. “You’re a really neat guy and I’d like to get to know you better.”

“Did you forget the entire conversation _we just had_ about me being a thief an’ an arsonist?”

“But you’re not anymore.”

“Only ’cause of health reasons,” Mick points out.

Ray shrugs. “You never hurt anyone innocent.”

“Boss’s orders.”

“That you said you didn’t object to.”

Mick sighs again. He works up the courage to meet Ray’s gaze and doesn’t see the hatred or betrayal or judgement that he’s been expecting – only Ray’s usual kindness and empathy are present. “You sure about this, Ray?”

“Never been surer.” Ray squeezes Mick’s arm before removing his hand and leaning back. “’Sides, while none of them are really crime-related, it’s not like I don’t have a few dark secrets of my own.”

“Huh.” Mick smiles. “You jaywalk or somethin’?”

“Once. But that’s not what I meant.” Ray takes a deep breath and releases it. “You see, I was once engaged to a woman named Anna…”

 

XxXx

 

**text from Lisa: So? How’d it go?**

**text from Len: How was it?**

**text to Len, Lisa: good**

**text from Lisa: Really?! That’s it?!**

**text to Len, Lisa: not one to kiss and tell**

**text from Lisa: So there was a kiss? :)**

**text to Len, Lisa: and he didn’t freak out about the former criminal thing**

**text to Len, Lisa: he was nice**

**text from Len: We don’t need to steal from him?**

**text from Lisa: Or set his place on fire?**

**text to Len, Lisa: nope**

**text from Len: He makes you happy?**

**text to Len, Lisa: so far yeah**

**text from Len: Good. Okay if I pick up Chinese takeout for tonight?**

**text to Len, Lisa: sure**

**text to Len, Lisa: and thanks you two**

**text from Lisa: You’re welcome, Mick.**

**text from Len: You’re welcome. See you around 5.**

XxXx

 

**text from Haircut: I get off work early Friday. Want to go out to dinner?**

**text to Haircut: sure**

**text to Haircut: where**

**text from Haircut: Anya’s? It’s nice but not too nice and has a wide range of stuff to choose from. I think you’d like it. :)**

**text to Haircut: okay**

**text to Haircut: so fri @ ? @ the library**

**text from Haircut: I’d say around 5? I get out before then, but I need to freshen up.**

**text to Haircut: sounds good**

**text from Haircut: See you then! :) XX**

**text to Haircut: looking forward to it**

**text to Haircut: X**  

 


End file.
